Dark Nights, Landscape of the Soul

By Guest Artists

Directed by Lisa Andrea Thurrell, Artistic Director

Kanopy Dance Company will present “Dark Nights, Landscape of the Soul” on March. 2 & 3 at 7:30 pm and March 4 at 2:30 pm at the Overture Center for the Arts, in Promenade Hall. Tickets are $24/$22 at the Overture Center Ticket Office Call (608) 258-4141.
While exceptional entertainment, dances in this concert are thought-provoking, darkly intense, and yet hopeful. The Kanopy Dance Company (KDC) will premiere a contemporary setting of “Antigone” to new music composed by Vicky Tzoumerka-Knoedler (Middleton WI) and choreographed by KDC's Artistic Director Lisa Andrea Thurrell. "Like the Greek tragedy it is based on, this dance is truly art for our times, exploring themes of hubris and compassion, and the tensions between the individual, authority, and society." Tzoumerka-Knoedler and Thurrell have worked closely on several well received interpretations of themes from ancient Greece, produced by Kanopy.
New work choreographed by experimental artist Deborah Hay (Austin TX) also will be presented. As a member of the "Solo Performance Commissioning Project 2006," in Findhorn, Scotland, guest dancer Ede Thurrell (NYC) prepared with Deborah Hay to present Hay's "News" for this concert. "The brilliant and innovative Ms Hay has been dragging dance into the modern era (for about the last 40 years) and makes dances that are surprising, funny, difficult, and in the case of this solo, "News", possibly beautiful."
Another frequent KDC collaborator, guest performance artist Kiro Kopulos (Madison WI) will present a new work, "Breakthrough," an octet with seated figures, voices and a huge billowing green cloud. Chris Barker (Madison WI) will enhance the on stage excitement with his creative lighting design. Lisa Andrea Thurrell's acclaimed "Maw," based on Allen Ginsberg's reading from his poem Howl, will be reprised for this concert.
Other guest dancers are Lorenzo Buchanan (Beloit WI), Kerry Parker (Pullman WA), and Vivian Tomlinson (Madison WI.) Area dancers Cynthia Bachhuber, Robert Cleary, Angie Curry, Elizabeth Fine, Lyndsey Groth, Karen Heusinger-Searles, Meg Johnson, Brianne Schenkel, Elyse Snider, Lisa Thurrell and Jessica Vokoun comprise the Kanopy Dance Company, with Katherine Sainsbury as understudy. Kanopy Dance is a Resident Company of the Overture Center for the Arts.
Kanopy Dance Company artists have received praise for their presentations of compelling choreography performed with dramatic physicality and elegance. Consisting of professional dancers and choreographers, KDC has developed an extensive repertoire, adding new creations with each concert season. The Kanopy Dance Company, Kanopy School for Contemporary Dance and Choreography and the Kanopy Studio have been located for 30 years in downtown Madison. Artistic Director, Lisa Andrea Thurrell, formerly with the Martha Graham Company, holds an MFA in Dance & Choreography from the UW and the Certificate from the Martha Graham Professional Teaching and Trainee Program. Kanopy Associate Director, Robert E. Cleary, danced with Bill T Jones, Bebe Miller, Minnesota Dance Theatre, Ballet Minnesota and holds degrees in Dance and History. Kanopy encourages local, national and international creative artists (choreographers, composers, and other theatre artists) by bringing their work before area audiences.

Produced by Kanopy Dance Company at Overture Center for the Arts, in Promenade Hall

Performances: March 2 - 4, 2007

Performance Times: March. 2 & 3 at 7:30 pm and March 4 at 2:30 pm at the Overture Center for the Arts in Promenade Hall.

Ticket Prices: Tickets are $24/$22

Call Call (608) 258-4141 or (608) 255-2211 for reservations or more information.